How To Create A Professional Brand Voice Guide Part 1

1. Own, manage or work with an Independent Cannabis Retail Store
2. Be prepared to take action, this isn't just entertainment! 
3. Reach out to Nick if you have any questions or would like his team to create a custom guide for you - nick@evergreencopy.ca

Defining your brand voice starts with asking key questions:  

Personality: If your brand were a person, how would it talk?

Formality: Do you use slang and casual phrases, or keep it professional and educational?  

Values: What do you stand for? Sustainability, craft cannabis, customer education?  

Audience: Are you speaking to cannabis connoisseurs, casual users, or medical consumers?

Personality: If Your Brand Were a Person…  

How would it speak to customers? (Friendly, professional, casual, educational?)  

Does your brand use humour, or is it more serious?  

What kind of language does it use? Slang? Industry jargon? Conversational phrases?  

Would your brand be more like a trusted expert, an enthusiastic advocate, or a laid-back friend? 

Tone & Style: Setting the Right Mood  Your tone will shift depending on the context, but it should always reflect your brand identity.  

Is your brand more formal or informal?  

Do you use short, punchy copy or longer, informative content?  

How do you address customers? (First-person ‘we’ vs. third-person ‘the company’)  

Would your brand say “Top-tier terps for the ultimate sesh” or “Premium cannabis products with superior terpene profiles”? 

Values & Mission: The Heart of Your Brand  

What does your business stand for? (Supporting local growers, sustainability, education?)  

What should customers feel when they interact with your brand?  Why did you start your cannabis retail store? (And what makes it different?)

Target Audience: Who Are You Speaking To?  

Are your customers cannabis connoisseurs, casual users, medical patients, or curious newcomers? 

What kind of messaging resonates with them?

Where do they interact with your brand most? (In-store, social media, website, email?)

If Bud for Buds were a person?
They’re your plug turned professional — laid-back but dialed in. They know what you like before you do, and they’ve got jokes, terps, and wisdom for days.

• Voice: Rebellious, witty, confident — no corporate buzzwords here.
   
• Vibe: Legacy roots with new-school cool.
   
• Persona: The seasoned bud connoisseur who stayed real and went legal. They don’t just sell weed — they curate fire.
   

Tone:

• Bold, real, a little cheeky — like your sharpest friend with the best taste in bud.
   
• Uses slang and humour without overdoing it.
   
• Mix of short, punchy lines and occasional deep dives when educating.
   

Style Notes:

• Speaks in first person ("we," "us") — it’s a crew, not a corporation.
   
• Not afraid to break grammar rules for flow.
   
• Would 100% say:
   
  • ✅ “Top-tier terps for the ultimate sesh”
     
  • ❌ “Premium cannabis products with superior terpene profiles”
     

• We came from the legacy market — and we’re here to keep the culture alive.
   
• We’re obsessed with quality and only stock weed we’d smoke ourselves (and we’ve got high standards).
   
• We believe in education over upselling. Our customers walk away smarter, not just higher.
   
• We rep for craft growers, small-batch bangers, and fresh drops that slap.
   
• Our mission: To guide cannasseurs and newcomers alike through the noise — and put them onto the good stuff.
   

Primary:

• Cannabis connoisseurs who want legacy-quality fire
   
• Curious new consumers who want the best, not the cheapest
   

Where We Talk to Them:

• Instagram: For showing off drops, memes, and culture
   
• Email: Chill updates with a dose of insight and exclusives
   
• In-Store: IRL convos with budtenders who’ve been around
   
• Website Chat: We actually use it — ask us anything
   

DoDon’tUse slang, but keep it naturalSound like a corporate chatbotEducate with personalityLecture or over-explainCelebrate craftPromote mass-market midsStay rooted in the culturePretend we just discovered weed in 2018Be real and relatableUse clichés like "elevate your experience" 

Check in once a year — trends change, slang shifts, new drops hit the scene. Stay fresh. Stay real.

Use this AI prompt to create your own guide: 

✏️ Prompt for AI Writer like ChatGPT

Copy and paste this into your AI Writer to create your brand voice guide:

I'm an independent cannabis retailer in Canada and I want to build a one-page brand voice guide like the Bud for Buds example from Evergreen Copy. 

Ask me 8–10 questions about my store's personality, tone, values, and audience.

Then create a brand voice guide in this format:

Brand Personality

Tone & Style

Values & Mission

Target Audience

Do’s & Don’ts

Evolving the Guide

Keep it clear, real, and written in a tone that fits my answers. Make it usable for my team, freelancers, or AI tools.

Use this example guide to help you build mine. 

EXAMPLE GUIDE

If Bud for Buds were a person?
They’re your plug turned professional — laid-back but dialed in. They know what you like before you do, and they’ve got jokes, terps, and wisdom for days.

• Voice: Rebellious, witty, confident — no corporate buzzwords here.
   
• Vibe: Legacy roots with new-school cool.
   
• Persona: The seasoned bud connoisseur who stayed real and went legal. They don’t just sell weed — they curate fire.
   

Tone:

• Bold, real, a little cheeky — like your sharpest friend with the best taste in bud.
   
• Uses slang and humour without overdoing it.
   
• Mix of short, punchy lines and occasional deep dives when educating.
   

Style Notes:

• Speaks in first person ("we," "us") — it’s a crew, not a corporation.
   
• Not afraid to break grammar rules for flow.
   
• Would 100% say:
   
  • ✅ “Top-tier terps for the ultimate sesh”
     
  • ❌ “Premium cannabis products with superior terpene profiles”
     

• We came from the legacy market — and we’re here to keep the culture alive.
   
• We’re obsessed with quality and only stock weed we’d smoke ourselves (and we’ve got high standards).
   
• We believe in education over upselling. Our customers walk away smarter, not just higher.
   
• We rep for craft growers, small-batch bangers, and fresh drops that slap.
   
• Our mission: To guide cannasseurs and newcomers alike through the noise — and put them onto the good stuff.
   

Primary:

• Cannabis connoisseurs who want legacy-quality fire
   
• Curious new consumers who want the best, not the cheapest
   

Where We Talk to Them:

• Instagram: For showing off drops, memes, and culture
   
• Email: Chill updates with a dose of insight and exclusives
   
• In-Store: IRL convos with budtenders who’ve been around
   
• Website Chat: We actually use it — ask us anything
   

DoDon’tUse slang, but keep it naturalSound like a corporate chatbotEducate with personalityLecture or over-explainCelebrate craftPromote mass-market midsStay rooted in the culturePretend we just discovered weed in 2018Be real and relatableUse clichés like "elevate your experience" 

Check in once a year — trends change, slang shifts, new drops hit the scene. Stay fresh. Stay real.

Please ask me any relevant questions to help you execute this task